An excellent shave this morning. And to the victor the spoils. Yes, the Skyline came out on top when it came to the longevity and keeping the whiskers at bay until this mornings shave. About 12 full hours of full on smooth skin on both face & neck without a hair to be felt. The Diamondback was right there but, at 10.5 to almost 11 hours after the shave, the first inkling of stubble was felt right at the back of the jawline closer to the ear. That’s where I usually get the first remnants of growth after a BBS shave result. Listen, both of these razors are fantastic in getting the smooth & efficient moniker stamp as they are that incredibly good. The end result was simply a longer lasting shave with the Skyline over the Diamondback. Comfortable engagement is an understatement for these two razor tools as they are representative of what a smooth, comfortable & efficient performing razor holder should be designed as. There are many others that do the same and get you there with superb comfort and even better efficient effectiveness. However, in a Titanium alloy these razors and a few others like this just hit differently. There is something special about a Ti razor when paired with a sharp blade that simply has to be experienced to understand the totality in every aspect concerning the shave regimen and it’s eventual outcome to the user. There are a few things that the Diamondback does better and there are a few also that the Skyline does better. I truly believe that the Diamondback is the winner if you just wanted a near perfect smooth, easy on the skin and ultimate effortless glide that feels seamless from both razor & blade once it touches the skin. The shave is magnificent and truly is marvelous at producing consistently good and utterly comfortable shaves day in and day out. It has a softer feel and perhaps even a more passive way of getting rid of the whiskers that is criminally good. On the other hand, the Skyline might not have that soft as silk feel which by no means am I implying it is a rough or harsh feeling razor, far from it. Rather it offers a slightly bit more direct feel or interaction between steel & skin at the moment of contact. It still is smooth and a superb feeling razor in comfort with almost an equal ease of use compared to the Diamondback. It’s just slightly backed-off on that smoothness and gains a bit of acuteness in overall feel while in the process of removing whiskers. And it does it beautifully from start to finish. Personally, I love that silky smooth feeling of the Diamondback at every stroke knowing that for me to get a subpar shave was probably created more by my own making than that of the razor itself. It’s inherently more forgiving than the Skyline because of the perceived mild nature that it presumably delivers but, it’s not a mild razor in the least. It just acts that way yet it delivers the goods effectively & comfortably. The Skyline is just a notch behind and I mean the smallest notch possible between these two. Both of these razors worked brilliantly with the Feather installed but, in my brief synopsis so far, the Skyline worked better with the Feather while not losing almost anything in that comfort and smoothness category while amping up its cutting ability over the Diamondback which will always be smooth & comfortable but, the gain in efficiency or effectiveness was negligible on the Diamondback and did not add anything in the performance end in the longevity or duration part and if it did, it was marginal at best. Again, just my perspective and experience so far and only more use and time will either solidify or change the perspective that I have so far.
On performance the Skyline has the edge in overall shave longevity and is only a hair behind the Diamondback in sheer comfort & ease of use. The latter has the soft feel & comfort edge on lockdown. So, in the end where am I going between these two? Not as simple as one would think or suggest. For one, I’ve been on a comfort & efficiency binge & search for the past few months as my skin prefers those characteristics more as I deftly hone in on my shaving skills & technique (
) and a razor in that category gains and holds more importance & value to me. And in the short but, quite significant past couple of months a low cost yet exceptionally crafted razor has put a big dent on my thinking concerning high end alloy razors with artisanal construction, quality & craftsmanship with that razor being the Razorock Recurve. Yes, not as smooth or effortless as these two but, it is right there on their heels and almost 1/4 of the costs of both the D-back & Skyline. And for some, that puts the Recurve ahead of the game to a degree and that is a compelling argument that can be debated for a good while. And if Razorock decided to produce a Recurve in Ti well, that’s no bueno for everyone else because I believe it will smoke the Ti razor class like a pack of KOOLS (Go Get’em Shane!) on both comfort & efficiency. Nevertheless, I’m going to give a 50/50 answer which to some will look like a cop out if not to most but, it’s my shave and in the end it’s what I prefer and believe on my own opinion based on my experience (
) .
If you want the performance oriented razor that and like a more direct feel or are geared for a longer lasting shave, I’d steer you to Ascender Skyline. If you want the opposite end of the performance side and just want a world class comfortable shaver and can care less about feel & shave longevity, the Paradigm Diamondback is your huckleberry. If you own the D-back already and enjoy it immensely, no need to go after the Skyline. However, if you’ve never had a D-back and just got your hands on the Skyline, you really don’t need the D-back. Are the gains in performance significant from the Skyline over the Diamondback? No, not to the regular guy that just wants a good feeling and luxury/premium shaver. Both will do the job incredibly well. Unfortunately, the only option between the two is the Skyline as presumably there will be some made available in the foreseeable future for shave enthusiasts to grab. The Diamondback so far is simply left to what one can hopefully find on a shave forum b/s/t or “the bay” type auction sights.
As for me, I’m still leaning towards the Diamondback side as I have more use with it and I truly enjoy how it shaves for me. However, the Skyline with more use on my end which I’m planning on can have an impact on how I view it down the road compared to the Diamondback. I can see myself definitely reaching for it more in the not so distant future. Can it possibly put my Diamondback on the b/s/t ledge in the future? Maybe. You’ll just have to wait and see….
